Bill Cosby loses second bid to have sex case thrown out

Bill Cosby has lost a second bid to have sex charges against him thrown out.

The 78-year-old TV star faces up to 10 years in prison if he is convicted of drugging and assaulting an ex-employee at his Philadelphia home in 2004.

His lawyers insisted he had a promise from a district attorney that he would never be charged over the alleged offence.

But County Judge Steven O'Neill, could not find evidence of such an agreement and the case may now proceed to trial.

A spokesman for Cosby's lawyers said it was unclear if they would appeal to the state Superior Court.

In recent years dozens of women have come forward and accused Cosby of sexual impropriety dating back to the 1960s.

Cosby, who played Dr Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992 and has been married for decades, denies the women's accusations and has been released on $1 million bail.